Tone-modifier.



No. 729,230. PATBNTBD MAY 26, L903.

IL. 0. SMITH. I TONE MODIFIER.

LPPLIOLTIOII FILED D110. 12, 1901.

PATENTED MAY 26, 1903. L0. SMITH.

TONE MODIFIER.

nrmomron mum DEU.12, 1901.

10 110mm. 2 SHEETS-SHEET z.

UNITED STATES Patented May 26, 19 03.

PATENT OF ICE.

LEWVIS O. SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN C. CAMERON AND ALVA O. ROEBUCK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TONE-MODIFIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 729,230, dated May 26, 1903.

Application filed December 12,1901. Serial No. 85,712. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS 0. SMITH, acitizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,

5 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ToneeModifiers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in violins and analogous stringed instruments whereby the sound of the strings is reinforced by means of a hollow resonant box or sounding body over or across which the strings are strung.

More especially, the invention relates to an I improved device for augmenting, distributing,

and modifying the tones of the instrument.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of the character referred to which may be readily appliedto instruments without substantially reconstructing or modifying the construction of the same; to provide a device whereby unevenness of tone or deficiency of certain ones of the strings, as compared with others of the same instrument, may be corrected; to provide in a device of the character referred to a construction which enables the adjustment to be made without removing or disconnecting the parts of the device; to provide a construction which may be inserted in a violin-shell or other analogous closed body through such small openings as are present in the instrument, and, in general, to provide a simple and improved device of the character referred to.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and will be readily understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a violin equippedwvith a preferred embodiment of my invention, a portion of the top shell being broken away in order to expose the arrangement of the tone-modifier within the shell. Fig. 2 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinally-vertical section, taken through the median line of the instrument and showing the tone-modifier in side elevation. Fig. 3 is a vertical tion of said body.

sectional view through the tone-modifier taken 011 line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

I have discovered that by applying a support to the interior of the sound box or shell 'of a stringed instrumentas, for example, to 5 5 the front or top member of a violin which receives the vibration of the strings from the bridge and rigidly supporting upon this support a plurality of hollow tube-like members arranged to project freely within the sounding-space of the instrument the tone of the latter may be very greatly modified and improved, and, further, that by varying the lengths of these tubular members and their position within the instrument the sounding qualities of the several strings may be modified so as not only to improve the tone of the instrument as a whole, but also to render the strings more uniform in their sounding qualities.

According to my present knowledge, in the case of a violin the sounding-post, or rather a modified form of sounding-post, constitutes the best form of support upon which to mount these sound modifying and distributing tubular members, and I have further discovered that the sounding-post, in order to secure the best results, should also be made hollow. The sounding-post forms a peculiarly-suitable support for said tone-modifying members because of the fact that it is capable of being moved around or adjusted within the instrument to that exact position wherein it produces the best results, because it may be inserted and removed through the f openings 8 5 and without dismembering the instrument, and, further, because when in position it is in direct bearing with both the top and bottom shell members of the sounding-body, and therefore partakes intimately of the vibra- 0 It is understood, however, in this connection, that my improved attachment might be made entirely independent of or in addition to the sounding-post of the in- ;strument, and, indeed, inthe'case of such 5 instruments as are not provided with the equivalent of a sounding-postit would of course take the form of a specially-constructed support. I may also state in this connection that I do not fully understand the 10:

scientific theory upon which my improvement is based, but believe much of its potency to reside in the fact that the hollow or tubular members of the device impart to the bodies of air contained therein vibrations which augment and cooperate with the vibrations of the larger body of air contained within the body of the instrument. I am constrained to this theory by reason of the fact that although a sounding-post equipped with prongs or fingers which are not hollow, but are arranged in somewhat the same manner as are the hollow elements of my present invention, has a certain degree of efficiency in modifying the tone of the instrument, yet it falls far short of securing the same results as are obtained by the present device.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates as a whole the resonance box or body of an ordinary violin, comprising front and back walls 3, respectively, and surrounding side walls 4.

5 designates the neck, connected with the body in the usual manner, and 6, as a whole, the usualset of strings, strung across the body in the customary manner and supported in such manner as to impart their vibrations to the body through the usual bridge 7.

S designates as a whole my improved attachment or tone-modifier, whichin its preferred form and as shown in the present instance combines both the functions of the ordinary sounding-post of the instrument and of a tone-modifier possessing the peculiar characteristics hereinbefore referred to. In its said preferred form the main support 9, corresponding to the ordinary sounding-post, consists of a tubular post made cylindric throughout the greater part of its length, as indicated at 10, and provided at the lower end of said cylindric portion with an annular shoulder 11.

Upon the post 9 are mounted two hollow secondary supports 12 and 13, respectively, each in turn being provided with a plurality of hollow tubular fingers, as 14 and 15, which are so seated within their respective supports that their hollow interiors communicate with the hollow interiors of the secondary supports. As a preferred construction, I make said secondary supports in the form of hollow bar-like bodies, each provided at a point intermediate of its length with a lateral enlargement or projection 16, which is apertured to fit snugly upon the cylindric portion of the main sup port or sounding-post. These bar-like secondary supports are open at each end, as indicated at 17 and 18, respectively, and the several tubular fingers are rigidly connected therewith by having their ends fitted within lateral openings 19, formed in the sides of the secondary supports remote from the sounding-post, said lateral openings or sockets being preferably arranged in divergent relation, so that the hollow tubular fingers of each secondary support spread out fan fashion, as in vzaeeo dicated clearly in Fig. 1. The sockets within which said tubular fingers are seated extend through the side walls of the secondary sup ports, so that the interior of each finger communicates with the interior of the secondary support.

In order to further enhance the cooperative effect of the tubular members and secondary supports with the tubular post, I provide in the latter, at the points encircled by the respective secondary supports, series of apertures 20,which afford communication between the interior of the tubular post and the interiors of the secondary supports. I preferably provide several of these apertures, as indicated in the drawings, so that at whatever angle the secondary support may be adjusted relatively to the post one or more of said openings will afford communication between said parts. In this connection it is to be understood that the secondary supports are fitted upon the tubular post with sufficient snugness to be held securely in position and in whatever angular adjustment they may be placed by frictional engagement alone.

It may be further explained that in practice I have found a hard resilient or vibratory wood, such as hard maple or spruce, to be the best material from which to form the device, including both the tubular post and the 1101- low tubular member supported thereon. I have further ascertain ed that the best results are secured when the walls of said tubular members are made relatively thin and of approximately uniform thickness throughout, such a construction conducing to the free and uniform vibration of the several members.

The operation of the device is probably entirely obvious from the foregoing description, but it may be explained that in use the sounding-post will be arranged in approximately its normal positionnamely, slightly in rear of the bridge and in the vicinity of the vertical plane of the d string, while the two sets of tubular-fingers will be arranged to extend, respectively, in the general direetion of the opposite side walls of the instrument. Preferably those fingers extending toward the base side of the instrument will be somewhat longer and arranged to extend in an inclined directionbetween the f and the tailpiece, while the opposite set of fingers will be preferably arranged approximately in diametrically opposite direction, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. However, it will be found that by varying the angular positions of the vibratory members, both with relation to each other and with relation to the strings of the instrument the effect upon the sound of the instrument will be modified as well as improved. I therefore adjust these tonemodifiers in various positions until I ascertain by experiment that position best suited for the particular instrument in hand.

The present invention is not to be c011- founded with prior attempts in which it has been proposed to modify the tones of a stringed instrument by applying to the interior of its sound-body some sort of a metallic vibratory devicesuch as, for example, a tuning fork or a metallic wire gong. Such devices, while serving to modify the tone of the instrument to which they are applied, operate to very substantially change the character of the tones, while my present invention has no such effect. It increases the volume of the tone of a violin, renders the violin more responsive to the bow, makes the tone of the instrument louder and of greater carrying power, particularly as to the heavier strings, but does not in anywise alter the peculiar characteristic tone of the instrument which distinguishes it from other instruments, the tone remaininga pure violin tone and being modified only as to its volume, sweetness, and uniformity, but not in such a manner as to make it sound otherwise than as a violin.

lVhile I have herein shown and described what I deem to be a preferred embodiment of my invention, yet it will be obvious that the details thereof may be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to these details, except as to such claims wherein they are specifically set forth.

I claim as my invention- 1. As a new article of manufacture, a tonemodifier for stringed instruments, comprising a post-like support having oppositely-extending engaging ends, and one or more hollow vibratory members fixed upon said support between its ends to receive and partake of the vibration of the support, said hollow members being arranged to project freely therefrom so as to extend freely within the body of the instrument when the modifier is in operative position.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a tonemodifier for stringed instruments, comprising a hollow post-like support having oppositelyextending engaging ends, and a plurality of hollow vibratory open-ended fingers fixedly connected with said support so as to receive and partake of the vibration of the latter, said fingers being arranged to extend divergently from said post at points between the ends thereof.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a tonemodifier for stringed instruments, comprising a post-like support constructed to fit with its ends in bearing with the opposite sides of the interior surface of the resonance body of the instrument, a hollow secondary support mounted upon said post-like support and a plurality of hollow vibratory fingers connected with said secondary support.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a tonemodifier for stringed instruments, comprising a post-like support constructed to fit with its end in bearing with the interior surface of the resonance body of the instrument, a plurality of hollow secondary supports mounted upon said post-like support and a group of hollow open-ended vibratory fingers connected with each secondary support, said secondary supports being adjustably mounted upon said post-like'support, for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination with a violin, a tubular sounding-post interposed between front and back walls of the violin-body, a hollow secondary support mounted upon said soundingpost one or more communicating passages between the interiors of said secondary support and the sounding-post, and a plurality of vibratory fingers mounted upon said secondary support and extending freely therefrom, the interiors of said hollow fingers communicating with the interior of the secondary support and theirouter ends being open, for the purpose set forth.

6. In combination with a violin, a tubular sounding-post interposed between front and back walls of the violin-body, a hollow secondary support mounted upon said soundingpost, one or more communicating passages between the interiors of said secondary sup port and the sounding-post, and a plurality of vibratory fingers mounted upon said secondary support and extending freely therefrom, the interiors of said hollow finger-s communicating with the interior of the secondary support and their outer ends being open, for the purpose set forth.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a tonemodifier for violins comprising a post having opposite support-engaging portions of restricted area constructed to rest in bearing with the front and back sides respectively of the body of a stringed instrument and a plurality of hollow vibratory open-ended fingers connected with said support and arranged to extend divergently therefrom.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a tonemodifier for violins and analogous stringed instruments, comprising a hollow tubular post of relatively small diameter, and a plurality of hollow vibratory open-ended fingers fixedly mounted directly upon said support and extending divergently therefrom.

' LEWIS 0. SMITH.

Witnesses ALBERT H. GRAVES, FREDERICK (J. Goonwnv. 

